August 15th is a big deal in the normally quiet village of Grahan. Located in the India’s Himalayan state, Himachal Pradesh, the people of Grahan enjoy a peaceful life. August 15th however is full of excitement as family and friends make the 3 hour hike up to gather and celebrate Mela Festival. But during the pandemic of Covid-19 what does a gathering look like?

Leading up to the festival the villagers imposed a self lockdown. No one new could enter the area and the villagers took turns guarding the path to enforce their bubble. The village decided it would be best to condense the festivals into 2 days instead of the usual 5 and were selective about who was allowed to come and stay. Luckily for us we were already staying in the village for more then two months so we made the cut.

First let’s meet the Gods. The main purpose of the festival is to honour their God as well as invite two Gods from nearby Villages.

Once the Gods arrive they make their way through the village visiting different houses and all three temples.

The town and visitors gather to welcome to Gods.

Messages are sometimes sent from god. I heard one of the messages was about the road being built to Grahan. With a road being built should more Gods be invited to Mela? Should the road be built at all?

The houses surrounding the squares were full of villagers peeking out the get great views!

Everyone was looking their best! colorful sarees and traditional handmade clothes were worn as well as gold and colorful headscarves.

Spiritual dances were performed by Babas, the religious men in hinduism. The locals say this performance honours the earth. Nature is incredible important to their way of life and they have a lot of respect and appreciation for all that it provides.

Incense is important in Indian culture. The incense used for Mela is collected from nature and burned for spiritual reasons.

Once the dancing and music started it was full power and the stamina was something to be admired. People danced for hours non stop, switching back and forth between a traditional circle dance and freestyle.

It was wonderful to see people of all ages enjoying the festival.

Mela festival was beautiful to witness and be part of. The people of Grahan value peace above everything which is why alcohol is prohibited. This made for a safe and positive environment. No fights broke out and most importantly women felt safe to dance all out. This is not always the case when alcohol is involved in a festival in India, often leaving women on the side lines. All in all it was a wonderful experience full of music, dance, tradition, community and joy!